Day 7/9 – Opportunity to Leave

Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man by Walter A Henrichsen (“Walt”)
Opportunity to Leave
Day One Hundred Ninety

“Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” II Kings 2:5

Elisha tenaciously stayed with Elijah as he crossed Jordan in preparation for his ascension. En route another prophet asked Elisha this question. Appearing annoyed, Elisha says he is aware, and continues following Elijah. Three times on their journey Elijah suggests that Elisha leave and three times Elisha declines. Jesus made a similar offer in John 6.

Today we say, “I don’t want to go with you unless you want me.” We are so preoccupied with our self-esteem that we are willing to leave the blessing if we are not made to feel good about ourselves. I first learned this when I began my college education. It was obvious that the professors did not need me; I needed them. They had what I wanted and I wasn’t going to leave until I got it.

When people come into your life you do not help them by making them feel as though they are doing you a favor by being with you. They are with you because of what they can obtain, and you do them a disservice when you communicate otherwise. If you follow close to God, it is what others can gain from you that attracts them to you. You are the channel of blessing.

Stay close to your Lord, not because you sense He wants you, but because with Him you find the blessing. And when you obtain the blessing, you are ready to give it to others that want it.

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Job 38-40 Acts 16:1-21 (New King James Version)

Job 38-40
The Lord Reveals His Omnipotence to Job
38 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:
2
“Who is this who darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?
3
Now [a]prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me.
4
“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
5
Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know!
Or who stretched the [b]line upon it?
6
To what were its foundations fastened?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7
When the morning stars sang together,
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8
“Or who shut in the sea with doors,
When it burst forth and issued from the womb;
9
When I made the clouds its garment,
And thick darkness its swaddling band;
10
When I fixed My limit for it,
And set bars and doors;
11
When I said,
‘This far you may come, but no farther,
And here your proud waves must stop!’
12
“Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
And caused the dawn to know its place,
13
That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And the wicked be shaken out of it?
14
It takes on form like clay under a seal,
And stands out like a garment.
15
From the wicked their light is withheld,
And the [c]upraised arm is broken.
16
“Have you entered the springs of the sea?
Or have you walked in search of the depths?
17
Have the gates of death been [d]revealed to you?
Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?
18
Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.
19
“Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,
20
That you may take it to its territory,
That you may know the paths to its home?
21
Do you know it, because you were born then,
Or because the number of your days is great?
22
“Have you entered the treasury of snow,
Or have you seen the treasury of hail,
23
Which I have reserved for the time of trouble,
For the day of battle and war?
24
By what way is light [e]diffused,
Or the east wind scattered over the earth?
25
“Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water,
Or a path for the thunderbolt,
26
To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one,
A wilderness in which there is no man;
27
To satisfy the desolate waste,
And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?
28
Has the rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29
From whose womb comes the ice?
And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth?
30
The waters harden like stone,
And the surface of the deep is frozen.[f]
31
“Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades,[g]
Or loose the belt of Orion?
32
Can you bring out [h]Mazzaroth in its season?
Or can you guide [i]the Great Bear with its cubs?
33
Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you set their dominion over the earth?
34
“Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
That an abundance of water may cover you?
35
Can you send out lightnings, that they may go,
And say to you, ‘Here we are!’?
36
Who has put wisdom in [j]the mind?
Or who has given understanding to the heart?
37
Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
38
When the dust hardens in clumps,
And the clods cling together?
39
“Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
40
When they crouch in their dens,
Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait?
41
Who provides food for the raven,
When its young ones cry to God,
And wander about for lack of food?
God Continues to Challenge Job
39
“Do you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young?
Or can you mark when the deer gives birth?
2
Can you number the months that they fulfill?
Or do you know the time when they bear young?
3
They bow down,
They bring forth their young,
They deliver their [k]offspring.
4
Their young ones are healthy,
They grow strong with grain;
They depart and do not return to them.
5
“Who set the wild donkey free?
Who loosed the bonds of the [l]onager,
6
Whose home I have made the wilderness,
And the [m]barren land his dwelling?
7
He scorns the tumult of the city;
He does not heed the shouts of the driver.
8
The range of the mountains is his pasture,
And he searches after every green thing.
9
“Will the wild ox be willing to serve you?
Will he bed by your manger?
10
Can you bind the wild ox in the furrow with ropes?
Or will he plow the valleys behind you?
11
Will you trust him because his strength is great?
Or will you leave your labor to him?
12
Will you trust him to bring home your [n]grain,
And gather it to your threshing floor?
13
“The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,
But are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork’s?
14
For she leaves her eggs on the ground,
And warms them in the dust;
15
She forgets that a foot may crush them,
Or that a wild beast may break them.
16
She treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers;
Her labor is in vain, without [o]concern,
17
Because God deprived her of wisdom,
And did not endow her with understanding.
18
When she lifts herself on high,
She scorns the horse and its rider.
19
“Have you given the horse strength?
Have you clothed his neck with [p]thunder?
20
Can you [q]frighten him like a locust?
His majestic snorting strikes terror.
21
He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength;
He gallops into the clash of arms.
22
He mocks at fear, and is not frightened;
Nor does he turn back from the sword.
23
The quiver rattles against him,
The glittering spear and javelin.
24
He devours the distance with fierceness and rage;
Nor does he come to a halt because the trumpet has sounded.
25
At the blast of the trumpet he says, ‘Aha!’
He smells the battle from afar,
The thunder of captains and shouting.
26
“Does the hawk fly by your wisdom,
And spread its wings toward the south?
27
Does the eagle mount up at your command,
And make its nest on high?
28
On the rock it dwells and resides,
On the crag of the rock and the stronghold.
29
From there it spies out the prey;
Its eyes observe from afar.
30
Its young ones suck up blood;
And where the slain are, there it is.”
God’s Power and Wisdom
40 Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said:
2
“Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?
He who rebukes God, let him answer it.”
Job’s Response to God
3 Then Job answered the Lord and said:
4
“Behold, I am vile;
What shall I answer You?
I lay my hand over my mouth.
5
Once I have spoken, but I will not answer;
Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”
God’s Challenge to Job
6 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:
7
“Now [r]prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me:
8
“Would you indeed [s]annul My judgment?
Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?
9
Have you an arm like God?
Or can you thunder with a voice like His?
10
Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor,
And array yourself with glory and beauty.
11
Disperse the rage of your wrath;
Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him.
12
Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low;
Tread down the wicked in their place.
13
Hide them in the dust together,
Bind their faces in hidden darkness.
14
Then I will also confess to you
That your own right hand can save you.
15
“Look now at the [t]behemoth, which I made along with you;
He eats grass like an ox.
16
See now, his strength is in his hips,
And his power is in his stomach muscles.
17
He moves his tail like a cedar;
The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.
18
His bones are like beams of bronze,
His ribs like bars of iron.
19
He is the first of the ways of God;
Only He who made him can bring near His sword.
20
Surely the mountains yield food for him,
And all the beasts of the field play there.
21
He lies under the lotus trees,
In a covert of reeds and marsh.
22
The lotus trees cover him with their shade;
The willows by the brook surround him.
23
Indeed the river may rage,
Yet he is not disturbed;
He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth,
24
Though he takes it in his eyes,
Or one pierces his nose with a snare.
Footnotes:
• Job 38:3 Lit. gird up your loins like
• Job 38:5 measuring line
• Job 38:15 Lit. high
• Job 38:17 Lit. opened
• Job 38:24 Lit. divided
• Job 38:30 Lit. imprisoned
• Job 38:31 Or the Seven Stars
• Job 38:32 Lit. Constellations
• Job 38:32 Or Arcturus
• Job 38:36 Lit. the inward parts
• Job 39:3 Lit. pangs
• Job 39:5 A species of wild donkey
• Job 39:6 Lit. salt land
• Job 39:12 Lit. seed
• Job 39:16 Lit. fear
• Job 39:19 Or a mane
• Job 39:20 make him spring
• Job 40:7 Lit. gird up your loins
• Job 40:8 nullify
• Job 40:15 A large animal, exact identity unknown

Acts 16:1-21
Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
16 Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek. 4 And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.
The Macedonian Call
6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in [a]Asia. 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the [b]Spirit did not permit them. 8 So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Lydia Baptized at Philippi
11 Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is the [c]foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. 14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.
Paul and Silas Imprisoned
16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. 17 This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” 18 And this she did for many days.
But Paul, greatly [d]annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. 19 But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.
20 And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; 21 and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.”
Footnotes:
• Acts 16:6 The Roman province of Asia
• Acts 16:7 NU adds of Jesus
• Acts 16:12 Lit. first
• Acts 16:18 distressed